Cleveland Turner, the founding principal of Turner LandArchitecture in Amarillo who has led state and national efforts to bolster licensing and legal registration requirements of landscape architects throughout his career, has been named an outstanding alumnus of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture.

“Few of our former students have exemplified the consistent, recognized leadership and commitment to the profession as Cleve has,” said Tom Woodfin, former assistant head of Texas A&M’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning.

As a member of the Texas chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects, Turner led a drive to add landscape architects to Texas’ Professional Services Procurement Act, a list of professions hired by state agencies for professional consulting. “Their inclusion in the PSPA has been critical, making the profession’s expertise available on state-funded projects,” said Woodfin, who heads the division of landscape architecture at the University of Oklahoma.

Turner also helped lead the effort to include the profession in the Texas Registration Law when it was upgraded from a title to a practice act, meaning practitioners included in the law are required to have a license instead of just a title to legally practice.

He was instrumental in implementing a uniform system of licensure for landscape architects across the U.S. as the national president of Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards and increased the number of regional testing centers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“Each of the groups in which he has held roles has been transformed by his vision and organizational skills,” Woodfin said.

He is serving a five-year term on Texas A&M’s Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Professional Advisory Board, working with department faculty, staff and students to create a bridge between the educational and professional phases of a landscape architect’s career.

Turner, whose firm specializes in site design on projects ranging from university campus planning to small entry courtyards, obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in landscape architecture in 1976 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in pre-law/economics in 1973.

For more information about the awards banquet, contact Trish Pannell, 979-458-0400 or t-pannell@tamu.edu.